Olive Jackson

Olive Jackson of New York City – in 1899 she became the first African American woman to join the Baha’i Faith.

Olive Jackson, a dressmaker and the first North American Baha’i woman of African-American decent. [1]

Olive Jackson’s membership marked the beginning of black women’s participation in a then uncommon religious movement. Jackson and the women who followed dramatically changed the scope and diversity of black women’s influence when they became members of a religion that placed issues of race and gender at the core of its doctrine. Women from the first generation of Baha’i adherents redefined black womanhood in the context of spiritual principles designed to forge an “organic” unity among all people and to foster new venues for black women’s religious leadership. [2]

Bahá'í Chronicles

We simply want to provide direct access to the heroes and heroines who have recognized and served the Bahá’í Faith and mankind. Our hope in sharing these stories is to offer enlightenment, respect and a wholehearted appreciation for the Gift.